This is the seventh in a series of articles and videos of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez's meeting with The Jersey Journal Editorial Board on Jan. 14. It is the first such session the senator has held in 2011 with a news media outlet.

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez said immigration reform, which has stalled in Congress under both President Obama and former President George W. Bush, will take "some profiles in courage."

The issue is not popular in New Jersey, Menendez said during an editorial board meeting with The Jersey Journal earlier this month. But reform is needed to strengthen the country's security and economy, he said.

"Tough border enforcement is part of our solution," the senator said. "At the same time, we need a pathway to earn legalization. And that is not amnesty. Amnesty means you get something for nothing."

Immigration reform, in Menendez's view, should include a requirement to learn English and to "go to the back of the line" behind people who have been waiting to immigrate to the United States.

Menendez's opinion doesn't sit well with Gayle Kesselman, president of New Jersey Citizens for Immigration Control. There's already a pathway to citizenship for those seeking to come to America, and that pathway is legal immigration, Kesselman said.
"When we have close to 10 percent unemployment, it's hard to justify giving jobs to people who sneak into our country illegally," she said.

Giving illegal immigrants any pathway to citizenship only encourages more immigrants to come here illegally, she said.